Catching up on the Net By N. McCombe Quite a few bits and pieces this time but nothing really major. Utilities 1. Adventure Blaster 1.0 - is an improved (very much) Interactive Fiction Utility. It comes as a self-extracting file and will install itself where you decide, complete with help file, and puts a shortcut in place. The adventures supplied are graded and are shown as such on the dialog box. Also shown are various details such as - play controls, adventure details, and the adventure system used. Also available from the dialog box is an I.F. tutorial in an easy read point and click file. Has to be seen to be in action to be really appreciated. If you want to try I.F. this is the way. 2. Frobot Magic Adventure Mapper V1.2 for Windows has arrived. The read-me file has all the detail needed. Quite simply, the program takes the log of a text adventure, such as a WinFrotz transcript and makes a map of the rooms, connecting links and blocked exits etc. While success is indicated as variable, I found it interesting. If you only play with the samples supplied you will find that the program seems to create its own interest. 3. Magnetic - a PC interpreter for Magnetic Scrolls Adventures. Sadly Magnetic scrolls, who produced some seven very good adventures have now disappeared into limbo. Magnetic is a program which allows modified files from Mag. Scrolls games to run on the PC. The program contains a utility to convert your C64 game files to a suitable format to run by it. Should you not have suitable files for conversion the programmer suggests that they may be acquired "on the Net" but warns of copyright dangers. When converted, the C64 files run as text only adventures on both the Magnetic interpreters (i.e. Windows - winmag.exe : By .bat file - magdos). 4. Universal Hint System - This is the latest version of the U.H.S. shareware program. It has been around for a long time and has a large list of help files available for various adventures. This program allows you to really try it out before registration. While I am not a fan of 'Hint Systems' which give help piece-meal (as you request it), it is still a very good utility. On the programming front. Hugo 2.5 Beta release - This archive contains the source code and Exe files for the latest version of the adventure engine Hugo. This will be mainly of interest to those who use or intend to use this medium. However, the fact that this program is in the final testing stages must interest all adventurers and this Beta version must be regarded in the light of playtesting and experience. New and Up-dated Adventures. 1. Z5LIST (Inform) - This is not an adventure at all but is the latest update of the Interactive Guide to all available adventure games in Inform format. Very handy to check your list of Inform adventures and see what is missing and available. 2. ZORK - A TROLL'S EYE VIEW - An Interactive Tedium (Inform) - Latest update by Dylan O'Donnell Release 3, SN 980518. It's not much of a job but you volunteered. You were given the standard issue Axe and told to ... well ... Guard 3. ANCHORHEAD (Inform) - An interactive tale of Lovecraftian horror by Michael S.Gentry. Release 1 SN 980506. Having been informed that you are the beneficiary under the will of a distant branch of the family, you have completed the arrangements for the disposal of your present home and activities. After driving around a thousand miles from your native sunny Texas, you begin to wonder how it all began, how it will all end and, anyway, it's beginning to rain. 4. LIMP (Inform) - An interactive thingy by Rybread Celsius. Release 1 SN 980517. As the name suggests, it is male sex orientated classing it as X. You have been warned. 5. EVOLUTION (Tads) by Textfire Inc. This is YOUR life. Your goal is to guide your single cell (a miracle of life) up the evolutionary ladder. How successful can you be? 6. ESCAPE FROM ATLANTIS (Q-Basic) by Tom Ally. This is a short adventure with no SAVE/LOAD feature. Either play it straight through at one sitting or add a save/load routine for yourself (move it from one of your other Q-Basic adventures) 7. ALIEN ABDUCTION (Tads) Version 1.2 by Charles Gerlach. This is an update of the original entry for the 1996 Competition. 8. LORD AVALOT D'ARGENT V1.3 (Dec 1995)- A medieval graphical adventure by Thorsoft of Letchworth - Similar to the original 'King's Quest' 9. DENARIUS AVARICIUS SEXTUS V1.6 (July 1992)- A Roman graphical adventure (EGA)by Thorsoft of Letchworth - Similar to the original 'King's Quest' 10. DAMP CAMP (Tads) release 1 - a short piece of interactive fiction by Muji software. 11. DON'T BE LATE (Alan) - An interactive snippet written for the second annual I.F. competition by Greg Ewing - You have been looking forward to this day ever since you and your friend volunteered to be judges in this year's Annual I.F. Competition... So the story begins. 12. SMALL WORLD (Tads) Release 2. A miniature text adventure by Andrew D. Pontious - Spinning the globe in your room, you are suddenly transported to the North Pole of that world. Now play on! 13. MOP and MURDER (AGT) Full Release V1.0 - an update version, with pop-up hints, of Brad Friedman's Mop and Murder - A Masterful Mystery in One Room ! A LITTLE XTRA PLAGAME.FAQ - The new version of Steven Griffith's instructions for playing interactive fiction games. All the programs mentioned above are available from the SynTax Library Till the next time Nettie McCombe June/July 1998 - o -